Witness to Destruction
by Stratusfied247
Summary: When Jason and Sam are called to General Hospital, they find a situation that neither know how to handle. Carly is in surgery. Michael is covered in blood. And Sonny is dead. What happened?
1. Chapter 1

Michael was covered in blood, and not speaking. Carly was in surgery. And Sonny was dead. What the hell was going on?

"Michael?" Jason Morgan knelt before the small boy. He didn't touch him. The last time he tried, Michael had screamed and pulled back. He had drawn his feet up in his chair, wrapped his arms around his knees and rocked back and forth. Only small whimpers had come from his mouth, squeezing out of a throat that threatened to seize up at any minute. Now, though, he was silent. His legs were once again dangling, toes scraping the floor. His head was bowed, and he was blanched. He wasn't speaking, but at least he wasn't crying.

"Michael, look at me." Jason sighed and looked up to his left. Max watched them. His face was pale. He was in shock and no good to him at the moment. He turned to his right. Sam stared down in confusion and shock of her own. Shock that the boy was so silent, covered in gore. Whatever had happened, she hadn't been there. She didn't know what was going on, so at least her shock didn't leave her completely useless. "What do I do?"

"I-" Sam shook her head and snapped her mouth shut. She took in a breath deep enough to make her torso rise and fall. "I don't know," she finally said. "I don't know what happened."

Jason sighed and returned his attention to Michael. He had started rocking now, and muttering. Jason couldn't distinguish his words, but the tone was pitiful. Jason looked around again, and he saw Bobbie sitting in a chair across the hall. She held a similar look to Max. Had she seen what happened? Or had she just seen Carly when she was brought into the hospital? Whichever it might have been, she wasn't going to be of any use, either.

"Michael, please, look at me." Whether it was the please, or the begging tone in his voice, Michael rose his face. His eyes were dark and sunken, haunted by something. "What happened, Michael?"

Michael shook his head furiously. He squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands over his ears. "Stop it," he mumbled. "Stop. Stop. Don't do that. Don't do it! Stop! Don't make me- Stop!"

Michael jumped from the chair, then scuttled beneath it. He curled himself into as tight a ball as possible. He whimpered beneath the chair, rocking to each side. Whatever happened, Michael wasn't going to say. Jason had to find another route.

He stood up and grabbed Max by the arm. The bodyguard looked at him as though he'd just seen him, just realized that he was there. Jason dragged him to the side and practically threw him against the wall. "What the hell happened, Max?"

Max's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, gasping for air. He looked down to the floor and Jason wanted to hit him. What the fuck good was a bodyguard who couldn't guard? What good was a guard who didn't have the ability to report back to his superiors? Jason had seen a lot of horrible things since coming to work for Sonny, but he'd always been able to report back. Even when he was shot, he was able to report back to Sonny and tell him what had happened. How in the hell could Max not even say a word?

Like a snake striking, Jason pulled a silver handgun from the inside of his leather jacket and pointed it at Max's head. "Tell me what happened right now, or Sonny won't be the only one dead."

There was too much going on that Jason couldn't understand. Too many people he loved were hurt, all at once. Maybe he could have handled them all one at a time, but together- It only served to leave him confused and bewildered. When Jason couldn't figure something out, he pulled his gun. His gun, he could understand. Violence, he had wrapped around his little finger.

"Jason, what are you doing?" Max snapped out of his catatonic state and tried to push Jason's hand down. "What if someone sees you?"

Jason snatched back from him and retrained his sights. "Then I guess I'll be going to jail. But, not before I get out of you what happened."

"I- I don't know." He shook his head. "Mrs. C- She came to get the boys, and she and Mr. C started arguing. They always argue, I didn't think anything of it."

"Go on." Jason didn't put the gun down.

"They were screaming, and then Michael started shouting at them to stop. At someone-" Max shook his head. "I don't know. It all went so fast. I- I came into the room, and Mr. C was on the floor. Mrs. C was on the floor. Michael was holding a bat-"

Slowly, Jason's arm started to lower. Michael- He shook his head. No, he couldn't believe it. Michael couldn't do something like that. But if Sonny- Again, he shook his head. No, Sonny wouldn't do that. Sonny wouldn't do something that would cause his own son to- He couldn't even think it.

But, if Sonny hadn't done anything to Carly, why would Michael have a bat?

"You're lying to me, Max. Tell me, you're lying to me."

"God, Jason, I wish I were." Max slumped against the wall. "I wish I'd gone in when they first started fighting. Or that I could have- I don't know. But, they always fight, Jason, it's what they do. You know that."

"Jason." His head snapped to the side as Sam came running up to him. Now, Jason's arm was down, the gun held loosely at his side. "Jason, Michael said something and- We can't let him say it to anyone else."

Jason looked down, and he thought that he might actually cry. Not for Carly. Not for Sonny. Maybe not even for Michael. He couldn't put a reason on his sudden need for tears, and because of that alone, he stopped them from falling. "Tell me he didn't do it, Sam."

"Jason-"

"Tell me he didn't do it!"

Sam took in a deep breath, and as her shoulders fell, Jason knew she couldn't tell him what he wanted to hear. She pulled him down to her level, so she could speak quietly enough for him to hear and no one else. "He's muttering, Jason. Muttering and crying. He's muttering that he killed Sonny."


	2. Chapter 2

"Jason, we need to get a lawyer." Sam knelt beside Jason. Jason knelt in front of Michael. Michael was back in his chair. "Bobbie has kept the police away from Michael, but she can't do it forever. And that's not our only problem."

"The press." Jason spoke in a low voice that sounded tinny to his own ears. "It's probably all over the place."

Soon, the hospital was going to be teeming with people, and most of them, if not all, Jason didn't want to see. Michael probably didn't either. He didn't need to see them.

AJ would definitely be there. Wouldn't this be the perfect time to swoop in and get Michael? As his biological father, with Sonny dead and Carly incapacitated, AJ would have more legal ground to take Michael home than Jason would have to tell AJ to get the hell away from him. AJ would storm the hospital with a swarm of Quartermaines, and Michael wasn't ready for that.

Alcazar would come, too. Where Michael was concerned, Jason didn't have to worry. But Carly—Alcazar would cause a scene until someone was able to tell him what had happened. Since Michael was the only one who could do that—Maybe Jason had to worry about Alcazar after all.

"Jason?" He looked to Sam with a vacant stare. "Jason, we have to do something."

What did she want him to do? Jason sighed. What needed to be done, of course. He always did what had to be done. That was an integral part of his character. He was the point man. While others pondered the circumstances and consequences, waited to see where the chips would fall, Jason went out and he acted. He took care of business, and left the rest for someone else to sort out.

But, he couldn't do that this time. There was no one else to do it for him. Jason had to figure everything out, and then execute. He was happier just being the executioner. In a case like this, he didn't want to be judge and jury, too.

What were the facts? What did he know?

Sonny was dead.

Carly was badly beaten and taken into surgery.

Michael was nearly catatonic and covered in blood.

Maybe if he kept going over the facts, something in them would change. Maybe Max's useless ass would come up with some piece of information that was missing. Something else had to be out there, something that would entirely change this situation. Something that wouldn't lead Jason to believe the worst.

Deluding himself would have been easier had Jason had the faculties with which to accomplish the feat. If he were able to actually fantasize, to play make believe-- It was gone. He'd tried before, with Michael and with Sam, but it was never really making anything up. It was just taking fact and modifying it. He couldn't make up stories. He could only alter bits and pieces.

But there was nothing add. There was nothing that could be changed. Unless they found that someone else was there, some kind of track that said there was another killer, then Jason had no choice but to believe the worst.

Sonny had beaten Carly to within an inch of her life.

Michael had witnessed Sonny beating his mother.

Michael had killed Sonny.

"No," Jason muttered. He pushed himself to his feet and shook his head. "That's not what happened."

"Jason?"

"Michael didn't do that. Sonny didn't do that." The gravity of the situation was crushing. Jason put his hands to his head and squeezed. "I'm missing something. Some piece of information, some kind of evidence." He let his hands drop. "I have to talk to Carly."

"Jason, she's still in surgery. There's no telling when she'll be out. Bobbie said—"

"Bobbie's said a lot of things." To say the least. For a moment, Jason got her to talk to him, and he didn't learn anything. She screamed at him. She blamed him for giving her daughter to "that bastard." She raged on him for handing her grandson over to "that monster." Bobbie beat his chest with her fists, and Jason just stood there and took it. He couldn't think straight enough to do anything else. "Bobbie probably won't even tell me when she's out of surgery if I leave her. I can't leave."

"Then, let me get Michael out of here." Sam bit her bottom lip, then looked around Jason. She rested her eyes on Michael for a few seconds, then faced Jason again. "Stay here. Find out what happened. Talk to Carly when she's conscious, but unless you want the Quartermaines to walk out of here with Michael, one of us needs to get him out of here."

"And we need to get him a lawyer. They'll figure it out." Jason was echoing Sam's words. Sam was echoing Jason's thoughts. There was so much going on.

Lawyer.

Who did he call? He could possibly call Justus, but he was still too connected with the Quartermaines. What if they didn't know yet and Justus was with one of them when he got the call? There was too much of a risk of them showing up.

Alexis? She hated Sonny, so would she even care that he was dead? Granted, she had nothing against Michael, and she was going to have to know, eventually. Sonny was the father of her daughter.

Lansing? Yeah, that was fucking likely. Sonny's brother or not, Jason didn't trust Ric Lansing. The man had spent too much time trying to take him down. From an Alcazar to the District Attorney's spot, he was the last person Jason wanted anywhere near Michael. All he could do was bring chargest against him, anyway. What did Jason think he'd do? Recommend a good attorney?

Out of the options, there was only one that Jason could go with.

"Call Alexis," he told Sam. "Take Michael to Alexis's place. When the Quartermaines come looking for him, that's the last place that they'd look." Jason closed his eyes for a second, then muttered, "Clothes. He needs a change of clothes." His eyes popped open. "Grab a pair of scrubs on the way out. You have to tell Alexis everything in person. Nothing over the phone."

"I know that, Jason."

"Then, take him to a safehouse. He'll need clothes, but we won't have time to shop. Just get him undressed and get him showered at Alexis's. Keep the scrubs until I get there."

"Jason—"

"I can't let Michael go down for this. If push comes to shove—" He shook his head. "I can have a jet ready to go in under twenty-four hours. You just have to keep Michael safe. Get him to talk if you can, but don't push him. If he won't talk, then he won't talk. Just make sure he's not hurt." He grabbed her by the arms, gripping just below the shoulders. "You have to make sure he's alright, Sam. Can you do that?"

"Jason—"

"I don't ask for favors. I'm supposed to do all of this, but right now, you're the only one I trust. Please, don't let me be making another mistake with Michael. Don't let me be putting him in the wrong hands."

Jason slowly started to release her, and Sam reached up to touch his cheek. She was so small that only her fingertips managed to reach his cheekbone. "You can trust me, Jason. I'll take care of him. You just-- Don't do anything stupid, alright?"

"Sam…" He sighed. "I wasn't even there. What could I possibly do?"

"There's a lot you can do, and if I'm already thinking about it, that means you had to have thought about it long before I did. You weren't there, Jason. You don't know anything. You didn't see anything." There was a scuffle behind them, and Sam turned to see Mac Scorpio. Bobbie may have been able to bully the regular officers, but apparently not the police commissioner. "Damn. I'm going. Keep a wall, and give me five minutes."

Jason bent down for a short kiss, and then Sam was gone. He didn't look behind him to see how she managed to coax Michael from his chair. He only listened for the footfalls that signalled their rapid run from the hospital. Jason stared forward, his eyes on the police as they came forward. "Yeah, yeah, I know the drill," Jason said as Mac stepped up in front of him. He put his arms out, wrists face up. "Questions, like always? Well, here's the answer, just like always." Jason set his face to unreadable blank lines and gave Mac Scorpio cold, dead eyes. Now, this… This Jason could handle with his hands tied behind his back. And that's usually how he did it.


	3. Chapter 3

"We have Michael's fingerprints on the muder weapon, Jason. A dozen people in the hospital who saw him covered in blood. Carly's still in a surgery that she may never recover from. We can put two and two together. We know what happened. We just need to find Michael."

Jason stared up at Mac with as much ice as he could put in his eyes. The Port Charles Police Department did a lot of really stupid things. They botched investigations. They continued to ask the same questions of their usual suspects, knowing they weren't going to get anywhere. But this… Thinking that Jason was going to hand over Michael had to be the dumbest thing yet.

"I can get a warrant, Jason, but I don't want to do that to him. I just want to bring Michael in, talk to him, hear from him what happened."

They all knew what had happened. The past hour and a half spent staring blankly around the room had given Jason enough time to come to terms with the night's events. He didn't want to believe that Sonny had that in him. He didn't want to believe that Michael had it in him. But, there was no denying what happened. There was no taking it back.

"Here's what I think," Mac said. He walked around the room, his arms dangling at his sides. "Carly and Sonny got into an argument. He never likes to give up the boys, but Carly was taking them. He probably accused her of going off to Alcazar, giving him his children. They fought, like we've all seen them do, but Sonny took it a step further. He started to hit her, and he couldn't stop. Michael walked in on him, and he did the only thing he could think to do."

"Arrest me, if you're going to arrest me."

Jason stared up at Mac defiantly, hoping that he'd be decent for once in his life and just let it rest, but he didn't let it go. "He grabbed the bat, probably something from his room. He grabbed it, and he swung. He kept swinging until he didn't have the strength to swing anymore."

"Shut up, Mac."

"He won't go to jail, Jason. He was protecting his mother."

"Shut up."

"He's ten years old! The boy needs help. He killed his father after he beat the living hell out of his mother, he's going to need somebody to—"

"Shut up!" Jason slammed his fists down hard on the desk. He shoved himself to his feet and the metal chair scraped the floor as it went sliding back. "I don't want to hear your theories, I don't want to hear any of this! Shut up and arrest me, or just shut the hell up!"

He took in a deep breath and turned away. This had to be one of the few times that he'd been brought into the station where his hands weren't bound behind him. He was handcuffed so many times in this place that he had to remember his hands were free. He had to remember, when doing something as simple as retaking his chair, that he wasn't cuffed.

Jason tossed the chair back to the table, then sat down hard. Just because he'd come to terms with what happened didn't mean he wanted to hear about it in detail. It would be bad enough when they finally got Michael talking. Listening to him, hearing him say how he hit him over and over again. And when Carly woke up…

Jason had to believe that she would wake up. It would be worse on Michael if she still died. Not only had he killed his father, but he'd done it for nothing. His mother was still… He shook his head. No point in even going there, because Carly wasn't going to die. She'd be fine, because she was always fine. Carly was resilient. She was a permanent fixture in his life. She was his best friend. She wasn't going to die.

He wondered if Sam had gotten to Alexis, made her understand. There was too much between him and Alexis for them to like each other, but she had to see that she would be doing this for Michael. He didn't deserve what the cops would put him through. He didn't deserve some mental ward and the permanent branding of murderer. He was a kid, and even though the records would be sealed, the media would find out. They'd get the truth, and they'd eat it up. Michael would never be left alone.

"I can charge you with obstruction of justice," Mac told him. "You know where Michael is, but you won't hand him over. I could charge you with kidnapping."

Jason looked past him, to the window that gave a minor view of the waiting area. Ric was out there, pacing back and forth. Why hadn't he been in there, yet? He claimed that he and his brother had gotten over their troubles, that they could be friends and one day real brothers. So, why was he pacing around outside instead of coming in and badgering Jason?

"He's not on this case," Mac said. "He's too close to it. Right now, he's probably thinking of a million charges that could be brought against you right now, and he can't do anything with any of them."

"If you're arresting me, then I want a lawyer. If not, I want to go home."

"You're getting real good at that answer, Morgan. You've come in here so many times that you're like a robot. I say something, and you just spit that right out at me. I almost liked seeing you mad. It showed a little bit of emotion."

"Give me a lawyer, or send me packing."

The door opened as Mac turned, the anger and frustration visible on his face. Alexis came storming in, and Jason looked out the window again. Ric stood there with his jaw dropped, his eyes wide open. If Jason weren't in the middle of playing stupid for the cops, he probably would have had the same expression on his face.

"No charges have been filed against Mr. Morgan, so I suggest you let him go, Mac."

"Alexis, what are you doing here?"

She ignored him and went on. "You've charged him with nothing, so you can't hold him. You've questioned him, and I take it that he didn't answer?"

"Apparently, he just lawyered up." Mac turned towards Jason, then back to Alexis. "Last time I checked, though, you didn't like him anymore than we do. So, what's going on?"

"What's going on is that my daughter's father is dead, his ex-wife is in a coma, and the only person that can talk the babysitter into handing over my daughter is sitting in that chair. I put a lot of things aside for my daughter, and if getting Jason out of here so he can tell Leticia that it's fine to hand over Kristina, then I'll do that. Now, if you don't mind…"

Not bad, Jason thought. He may not have personally liked Alexis, and she may have hated his guts, but he never denied that she was good at her job. She'd saved Jason from jail more times than he could count, and now she was adding another to the list. Infinity plus one. At least for the time being.

Jason stood up and walked around the table. "You're not charging me, so I'm leaving."

He walked out of the interrogation room. Ric approached him, and Alexis called out, "Don't." Jason didn't stop to see what went on between them. He needed to get outside, where he could call Sam. He had to find out if Michael had told her anything else. If he was out of that catatonic state that his actions had forced him into.

Jason had his cell phone in hand when Alexis ran up to him outside. She held her briefcase in one hand. The other was shoved deep into her pocket. "My house isn't safe," she told him, walking quickly with him down the street. "I sent them to Wyndemere."

"What?"

"Nikolas has been told just what he needs to know, enough to get him to help and to keep his mouth shut."

"I have to get to him." He slapped his phone shut and threw it in his pocket. Alexis grabbed him by the arm and he turned back to her. "What are you doing!"

"First things first. I was serious about Leticia."

"Alexis, this isn't the time—"

"Make it the time. You better believe that Mac's going to be watching us. If we don't go to the MetroCourt and pick up Kristina, he's going to know something's up. I've never had anything against Michael, and I'll help him if I can, but I'm not going to lose my daughter or my law license for anyone. So, first we pick up Kristina, and then we go to Wyndemere. It's the one place I can come and go from without being questioned and since I'm now pulled back into being your lawyer once again, you can go there, too. Now, we're going to the MetroCourt, and that's that."

Jason watched after her as she took off. He still didn't like her, and when this was over, they could go back to being at each other's throats. But until then… Jason sighed and pushed himself forward to follow her. Until then, he was just going to have to put up with her. And she would have to put up with him.


	4. Chapter 4

_The screaming was so loud, and it wasn't like the screaming he was used to. Mom and Dad argued all the time. That's all he could really remember of them. Sure, there were the happy times. Before Alcazar showed up. Between all the times that Mom and Dad split up. They would laugh. Dad would shake his head about the things that Mom tried to eat. Mom would try to talk her way out of them. Those were all the happier times. Even before Morgan was born. Back when they were happy._

_The recent memories, though… They were filled with screams and arguments. Filled with anger and insults being hurled. Fighting about Alcazar. Fighting about Sam. Fighting about him and Morgan. Alexis and Kristina. Back to Alcazar. Back to Sam. Back to him and Morgan. Always fighting. Always so mad at each other. But… he wouldn't hurt her._

_These screams, though… He was hurting her. He yelled at her, screamed, and all Michael could do was sit on the top of the steps, rocking back and forth. He put his hands over his ears and tried to block it out. He tried to remember laughing. He tried to remember sitting in the park. He thought of Jason, but that didn't help either. It did give him an idea, though…_

_But calling Jason meant he had to take his hands from his ears. He had to listen to Dad scream at her, yell at her. He had to hear that sound… Like something hitting something else. But, she was okay. As long as she was screaming, she was okay. It was only when she stopped screaming, but that smacking sound was still there, that Michael took his hands from his ears._

_Slowly, he crept down the stairs. And there he was. Sitting on her, punching her over and over. His fists came down so hard. Didn't he see the blood? "Stop it! You're hurting her!" He didn't look up. He just kept hitting her. "Stop it! Dad, stop! You're gonna kill her! Stop!"_

_But, he wouldn't, and… and… he couldn't just let him kill her. He couldn't just stand there and watch._

_Michael ran to his room. The baseball bat in the corner. Jason was going to teach him how to play. Sometimes he wanted to be like his father, but others, he wanted to play baseball. He wanted to stand in Yankee Stadium and listen to the people cheer. He wanted to hit home runs and sign foul balls._

_He wouldn't be hitting any foul balls with this bat._

_He was still hitting her when Michael hit the bottom step. Still punching and there was so much blood. Where was Max? Of course. It wasn't his job to butt in. He kept Dad safe. He didn't care what happened to the rest of them, not really. If Dad wanted someone hurt…_

"_Stop it!" One more chance. He gave him one more chance, but it was like he didn't even hear him. He didn't stop. He didn't listen to Michael. So Michael did what he had to do. He swung… and he kept on swinging._

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Sam ran into the room because she heard Michael screaming. She stopped at the door because she saw Michael swinging. His eyes were closed. He was obviously still asleep. He was stuck back then, earlier in the day, when he'd been forced to do the unthinkable.

"You can't kill her! I won't let you kill my mom!" His legs were spread, his knees bowed. His arms moved from side to side, swinging away. Then, he changed and he brought his arms down straight, over and over again.

What was it they said? Don't wake a sleepwalker. Enough damage had been done to Michael. Sam couldn't bear to do more. But neither could she bare to move to him. He would wake up and look at her with those haunted eyes again. So much pain in there, pain that he should never have had to experience.

She wished that Jason were there. He would know what to do. Sam barely knew Michael. The boy only accepted her as a favor to Jason. She didn't have the right to stop him. Her arms didn't have the comfort necessary to hold him. Jason, though… he had all of that, and as soon as he came back…

But, she didn't know how long that would be. Sam took a step forward, then stopped as Michael's swinging ceased. He dropped hard to his knees, exhausted. Michael let out a strangled cry and bent forward. He dropped down until he needed his hands to hold him up, then crawled across the floor. He only moved a foot or two before he dropped down again.

Michael hugged the empty floor and Sam knew for sure what she was watching. Michael was reliving the entire nightmare. They tried to get him to talk about it before, and he would say nothing. But now… Now, he was doing it all over again. Killing his father, over and over again, and each time the result would be the same. Each time, Sonny ended up dead, and Michael hugged his bleeding mother.

"He's reliving it." Sam jumped at the voice behind her. She blinked at Nikolas Cassadine. He had to be the last person she expected help from. No, that was wrong. Alexis was the last person she expected to help. Nikolas was just a continuation of that. "You have to let him play it out."

"How do you know that?"

"There are things that my uncle taught me that I thought I would never use. Every avenue of education was at my disposal, including psychology." Nikolas slid his hands into his pockets. "When he's finished, he'll fall back asleep, and that's when you go to him. He's sleepwalking, and that could be disastrous."

Sam turned back to Michael and watched. Sure enough, Nikolas was right. Michael moved away from the phantom Carly, pushing himself from the floor. So vivid was the reinactment that he even stepped over her body. He moved a few feet away, then crawled across the floor. Crawled under something? He rose his knees, wrapped his arms around them, then rocked back and forth. He'd been that way ever since.

After a few minutes of rocking, Michael laid down on his side. His eyelids fluttered, then his body straightened. He was asleep again, and the memory was gone. At least for a little while.

Sam looked behind her before moving across the floor. Of all people to look to for approval, she turned to Nikolas. She barely knew him outside of that mess with the Haunted Star, and she hated his aunt. But, Jason wasn't there, and he seemed to know what he was doing. That was more than Sam could say for herself.

Nikolas gave her a slow nod and Sam turned. She walked across the floor slowly, moving with caution until she reached Michael. Sam knelt down and reached a tentative hand towards him. She lightly brushed her fingers along his cheek. He didn't shriek from her touch, and Sam took that to be a good sign. A sign to move on and do more.

Sam sat on the floor and carefully pulled Michael into her lap. He curled against her, and whatever maternal instincts were left over from Lila poured around him. She held him tightly to her chest, rocking as much as she could while seated on the floor. She looked up to Nikolas and asked, "Why did you come up here?"

"Other than the fact that I could hear his screams down the hall?" Nikolas sighed and shook his head. "Jason and Alexis are on there way. They've reached the launch and should be here soon. I thought you would like to know that."

"Thank you." Sam looked down at Michael for a moment, and when she looked up, Nikolas was leaving the room. "Nikolas…" He turned halfway towards her. "Thanks. For, um… for helping us. I know you and Jason…"

Nikolas shook his head and put a hand up as interruption. "This isn't about Jason, or even Alexis or me, for that matter. It's about him. And he doesn't deserve any of this. And neither did Carly."

"What about Sonny?"

Nikolas's eyes were cold as he said, "If the story that Alexis told me is true, and from watching Michael move around the room, I suspect it was, then he deserved everything that happened to him. I only wish that someone other than that little boy had done it."

Nikolas left the room, and Sam was alone with Michael. She looked down at him. He was so innocent. He was a boy that had done so much in his short life. He took charge, and he could be a bit of a bully. But right then, he was just a little boy who was in pain. Had he ever sucked his thumb? It didn't matter, because he was doing it now. That one comforting thing that all children had. For the first time, she really did see a little innocent boy when she looked at Michael, instead of the miniature replication of Sonny.

She sighed and brushed amber hair back from his freckled face. "Yeah, he's right," she said softly. "He got exactly what he deserved. But just like Nikolas, I really wish you weren't the one that had to do it."


	5. Chapter 5

"Jason!" Sam's arms were tight around him, and Jason was glad to feel them. He squeezed her tightly, lifting her from the floor. He breathed her in, felt her against him. "Jason, I'm so glad you're back."

Slowly and somewhat reluctantly, Jason lowered her to the floor. He touched her face lightly, cupping her cheeks in both hands. "Are you alright?" His eyes flickered behind her to Nikolas, only for a second, but long enough to let Cassadine know that he didn't trust him. It was taken and given back in kind. Nikolas didn't trust him, either. At least they were in agreement over something.

"I'm fine." Sam grabbed his wrists and sighed. "I'm fine, but Michael—Jason, he's reliving it." He furrowed his brow in confusion and she said, "In his nightmares. He sleeps for a little while, and then he goes through the whole thing all over again. He won't say anything awake, but when he's asleep, he's telling us exactly what happened to him. To all of them."

Sam winced, and it was only then that Jason realized he was gripping her face tighter, possibly too tight. He jerked his hands back, then looked down at them. He'd used his hands for nothing but killing for years. Now, what could he do with them? He couldn't hold Michael, couldn't touch him without him screaming. What could he do?

This was his own fault. Jason knew that. Not because he taught Michael to take revenge on people who hurt him. Not even because he'd given him and his mother to Sonny. The trip to Wyndemere gave Jason enough time to think, and all of that thought told him one thing. He was at fault here, and he knew exactly why.

For years, Jason had ignored Sonny's mood swings, his volatile nature, and his anger. Sonny always came out of it, and Jason made himself believe that he'd never physically hurt anyone. He should have seen that it was only a matter of time. He should have seen that the emotional abuse that he heaped on would eventually turn into something much more frightening.

"This is not your fault." Jason blinked. Sam's finger was beneath his chin, and she pushed his head up. "Hey, it's not your fault."

"I didn't say—"

"You're thinking it, though. You're a mystery to me, a lot, but sometimes, I can read you like an open book. And now is one of those times. You're blaming yourself and it's not your fault."

Sam was so sure, but Jason wasn't. Looking around the room, he knew that neither were Alexis and Nikolas. They're condemnation didn't mean much to him, but his own was overpowering. He could have done something, but he didn't. He could have kept Carly and Michael safe, but he didn't. He was at fault here, and no amount of hand-holding and support from Sam could change that.

But, he could do something now. He could make sure that Michael didn't end up in the Quartermaine hands. Over the years, he'd become a little softer towards his family, but he wasn't blind to what they would do. They would take him, and they would turn him against his mother. They'd turn him against Jason, and neither he nor Carly would ever see him again. And then, Edward would start using him like he used everyone else—

He shook his head. If Robin were there, she'd try to tell him to think more of AJ than that. She'd always been one of his supporters, and maybe if AJ were stronger, Jason could have the faith in him that Robin always had. AJ might try. He might feel bad enough for Carly and what she'd been through to not take Michael from her. He might even try to keep Edward from doing to Michael what he'd done to him for years, using him as a weapon against all the other male Quartermaines. But, in the end, Jason just didn't believe that AJ was that strong. Edward would pressure him, he would cave, and Michael would be lost to everyone else that loved him.

No, he had to keep him safe. He had to do this for him, to make up for everything else that he didn't do. It was one more thing on an elongating list of priorities, but it was number one on the list. Jason still had to talk to the other families, make the transition into head of the territory, but all of that could wait. Michael was number one, and at number one and a half was Carly.

"First things first." Jason looked over to Alexis and sighed. "We can't let the Quartermaines get Michael. We're fine with the police for now. They're probably checking airports. Probably figure I'm getting him out of the country. The Quartermaines, though, they're going to come after him hard."

"For now," Alexis told him, "that's not a problem." She sighed and shook her head. "How many times do I try to forget my time as your lawyer? Granted with Kristina, I can't completely but…" She shook her head. "Sonny and Carly had documents put together years ago that name you as the guardian should anything happen to him. AJ and Edward will probably fight it, but right now, it's as ironclad as you're going to get. They can't take him from you."

"That's good." It was one less thing on his back. He would still have them after him, berating him and pressuring him, but he could handle that. They couldn't get Michael, and that's what counted. "Nikolas, how safe is this place?"

"As safe as you're going to get in Port Charles." Nikolas shrugged. "No one makes it across the launch without me knowing about it firsthand when I'm here. No one really visits except for Alexis, Lucky, Liz, and Emily. All people who will keep their mouths shut. They can get away with bringing anything you need because they come here all the time."

"Another point in our favor."

"I know I'm probably not the one you want to hear this from, but he needs treatment, Jason." Nikolas sighed. "Sam and I saw him up there, reliving it, and he needs to talk to somebody."

"You're right," Jason told him, "you're not anyone to tell me that."

"Ask Sam. She'll tell you the same thing. You don't like me. You don't like Alexis. You don't like our family, and honestly, there's no love lost on our side, either. But, I think we can all agree that Michael didn't deserve this, and we want what's best for him."

Jason grunted. "Uh huh."

"He's going to need serious therapy. He watched his father try to kill his mother. He killed his father. We can keep his body safe, but his mind is something out of our jurisdiction."

Jason hated therapists. He had too many memories of all the ones that tried to change him back into the great person he was told Jason Quartermaine to be. He didn't want people pressuring Michael. He didn't want them telling him things, convincing him of anything. He didn't trust them.

But, he knew deep down that Nikolas was right. Michael needed more help than Jason could give him. He could almost taste the palpable truth in Nikolas's statement. Michael needed mental help if he were going to survive this and live his life. But first… before that, he needed to see that his mother was alive. And so did Jason.

"That can wait. Right now, there are other more pressing matters."

"The business," Alexis said simply. "The calls are going to be coming in…"

"The hell with the business, alright? That can wait. I have to get back to the hospital and check on Carly. I have to be there when she wakes up to let her know that Michael's alright, and I have to stop her from saying anything to Alcazar that might put Michael in danger. When she first wakes up, she won't know what she's doing. She'll be out of it." Jason shook his head. "Business later. Michael and Carly are first priorities."

Fingers dug into his wrists and for the first time, Jason realized that Sam was holding him. He looked down at her and was grateful that she was there. Someone he could trust wholly to do what needed to be done. Sure, she might tell him later that Nikolas was right about the treatment, but she wasn't going to argue with him about it in front of others. She would just take care of Michael. And she would take care of him.

"Go see Carly," Sam told him. "I'll stay here with Michael. Maybe I can get him to talk."

"Sam…"

"I don't know, Jason. Maybe I'm stranger enough for him to feel comfortable with. Or maybe I'm close enough to you without being you that he'll talk to me. I don't know. But I do know that you're about to go crazy with worry over Carly, and you should go to her."

"Ya know, if I tell her you sent me to her bedside, she might just think she's died. Or she's insane."

"Then don't tell her." She gave him a weak smile, but it was just enough to make him feel better for a moment. To see a world of hope in the upward curve of her lips. "If anything happens, I'll call you."

Jason bent down and kissed her softly. "Have I told you how glad I am that you're with me, right now?"

"No, but you can do that later." Sam patted his cheek softly and her smile grew in strength and voltage. "Do what you have to do, alright? Just be careful, and don't fight with Alcazar or AJ. The cops are itching to find a reason to put you in jail."

"I'll do what I can." He kissed her one more time, then started towards the door. At the heavy, wooden doors, he stopped and turned. "Take care of him, Sam. He may not be mine by biology but he's always…" He shook his head. "Just take care of him, okay?"

Sam nodded, and that was enough for Jason to turn and leave. He probably should have stopped upstairs to see Michael first, but he couldn't do it. Not when he had to see Carly just after. He couldn't have them both so heavily on his mind, their pitiful images clouded his brain. He had to stay clear-headed, and that was not the way to do it. Not when his mind was already so clouded with guilt. Not when he was just barely able to keep it together.


End file.
